The Codex Alimentarius Codes of Practices for livestock products and animal feeding Annamaria Bruno, Food Standards Officer Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme FAO / EAAP /Satellite Symposium on Safety of Food of Animal Origin along the Production Chain Antalya, Turkey 16 September 2006
Codex Alimentarius The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of international standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations that have been adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). The CAC, the highest decision-making body in Codex, currently has 174 Member Nations and 1 Member Organization (44 in Europe; EC is a member since 2003). The purpose of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, which is implemented by the CAC, is to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade.
Scientific basis for Codex standards, guidelines and recommendations Mainly FAO/WHO expert groups - independent scientific expert groups Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) additives, contaminants, veterinary drug residues Joint FAO/WHO Meetings on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) Other FAO/WHO expert consultations, etc
Codex Structure Codex Codex Alimentarius Alimentarius Commission Commission Executive Executive Committee Committee Secretariat Secretariat General General (9) (9) Commodity Commodity and and Task Task Forces Forces Active Active (6) (6) ad ad hoc hoc Task Task Forces Forces (3) (3) adjourned adjourned (6) (6) Regional Regional (6) (6) Updated as at 29 th CAC (July 2006)
Process 8-Step elaboration and consultation process Preparation by Codex and ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Forces Circulation to governments and other interested parties for comments Adoption by the plenary Commission, usually by consensus Published in the Codex Alimentarius
Participation Present at Codex meetings: government delegations officials advisors UN (16) and IGO (46) observers NGO (157) observers public and media
Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding In 2004 the CAC adopted a Code of Practice for Good Animal Feeding (CAC/RCP 54-2004) developed by the ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding. The Code is to establish a feed safety system for foodproducing animals which covers the whole food chain, taking into account relevant aspects of animal health and the environment in order to minimize risks to consumers health. The Code applies in addition to the principles of food hygiene already established by the CAC. In July 2006, the 29 th CAC agreed to defer consideration on future work on animal feeding until 2008.
Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat In 2005 the CAC adopted a Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat (CAC/RCP 58-2005) developed by the Codex Committee on Meat Hygiene. The Code covers hygiene provisions for raw meat, meat preparations and manufactured meat from the time of live animal production up to the point of retail sale. The Code reflects contemporary developments, including risk-based hygiene measures, farm-to-plate approach, targets for hazards control measures that are necessary to achieve the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP) and the changing role of different stakeholders.
Residues of Veterinary Drugs The Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) CCRVDF proposes Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for veterinary drugs in foods (muscle, milk, liver, fat, etc.) from different animal species. 441 MRLs for 49 veterinary drugs (or group of veterinary drugs) have already been adopted. Code of Practice for Control of the Use of Veterinary Drugs (CAC/RCP 38-1993) and the Guidelines for Control of Veterinary Drug Residues in Food (CAC/GL 16-1993) currently under revision. FAO/WHO Technical Workshop on Residues of Veterinary Drugs Without an ADI/MRL, Bangkok, August 2004
Antimicrobial resistance In 2005 the CAC adopted a Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Antimicrobial Resistance (CAC/RCP 61-2005) developed by the Codex Committee on residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF). In 2006, the CAC agreed to establish an ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance to develop science based guidance on methodology and processes for risk assessment, its application to the antimicrobials used in human and veterinary medicine as provided by FAO/WHO through JEMRA, and in close cooperation with OIE, with consequent consideration of risk management options. In this process work undertaken in this field at national, regional and international levels should be taken into account. Scientific basis for the work of the ad hoc Task Force was provided by two FAO/WHO/OIE Workshops in 2003 and 2004 on Non-human Antimicrobial Usage and Antimicrobial Resistance and a joint FAO/WHO/OIE Expert Consultation on Antimicrobial Use in Aquaculture and Antibicrobial Resistance in 2006. OIE and WHO working on lists of critically important antimicrobials
Food hygiene, milk and milk products, egg products Code of Practice General Principles of Food Hygiene (CAC/RCP 1-1969) Code of Hygienic Practice for Milk and Milk Products (CAC/RCP 57-2004) Revision of Code of Hygienic Practice for Egg Products (ongoing work in CCFH)
Other relevant texts Principles for Traceability/Products Tracing as a Tool within a Food Inspection and Certification System (CAC/GL 60-2006) Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Dioxin and Dioxin-like PCB Contamination in Food and Feeds (CAC/RCP 62-2006) Code of Practice for the Reduction of Aflatoxin B1 in Raw Materials and Supplemental Feedingstuffs for Milk-Producing Animals (CAC/RCP 45-1997) General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Foods (CODEX/STAN 193-1995) General Standard for Food Additives (CODEX/STAN 192-1995) Commodity standards for meat and other products of animal origin
Other relevant ongoing work Export Certificate for Milk Products Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods (revision) Guidelines for the Control of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat Foods Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of Microbiological Risk Management Guidelines for Generic Official Certificate Formats and the Production and Issuance of Certificates (revision) Guidelines for the Conduct of Food safety Assessment of Foods derived from Recombinant-DNA Animals
Codex and the WTO Agreements WTO members shall base their sanitary or phytosanitary measures on international standards, guidelines or recommendations. Codex standards, guidelines and recommendations are specifically recognised in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement ) as the international benchmarks for food safety National sanitary measures based on Codex texts are deemed to meet international requirements for food safety
Cooperation between Codex and OIE Whole food chain approach to food safety. Cooperation is important to minimize overlaps and avoid gaps in in standards falling within the scope of both organizations, so as to ensure a farm-to-fork approach to the safety of foods of animal origin. OIE already participates actively in Codex work, e.g. in CCMH, CCRVDF and CCFH. OIE Working Group on Animal Production Food Safety. Advisory group established in 2002 with participation of experts from Codex. OIE ad hoc Groups on Identification and Traceability of Live Animals (since 2005) and on Animal Feeds (October 2006)
Further information Codex web site: www.codexalimentarius.net Codex Contact Points in each Member State Risk assessments can be found via www.who.int and www.fao.org